Episode 207 | Scope, Autonomy, and the Case for RDH-JDs - Dr. Derik J. Sven, DHSc

Episode 208 | Public Health, RDHAP, and a Career Built Beyond the Operatory | Jessica L. Woods, MPH, RDH

There is a version of dental hygiene most hygienists never encounter. No production targets. No same-day schedule pressure. Care measured by how many lives you reach, not how many patients fit in the hour.   Jessica L. Woods, MPH, RDH has been living that version for over a decade. A clinician who spent years in public health and alternative practice settings, she was the first hygienist employed by a county health department in the state, and ran one of the largest zero-to-five oral health prevention programs in the country before moving into national speaking and consulting work.   In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Jessica to talk about what the RDHAP path actually looks like, why salivary diagnostics are shifting the hygiene role toward a true medical model, and what the oral health connection to fertility means for patients and providers who have never heard it discussed. Jessica also opens up about losing her father to suicide and why mental wellness has become part of her speaking platform.   This episode is for dental hygienists, dentists, public health professionals, and practice owners who want to understand the full range of what hygiene can be and do. Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podbean. New episodes every week. Connect with Jessica L. Woods, MPH, RDH: Website: executiverdh.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/executiverdh    Where to Find Dr. Kelly: Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance. https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min [https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min] Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com [https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com/]

Episode 207 | Scope, Autonomy, and the Case for RDH-JDs - Dr. Derik J. Sven, DHSc

In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Dr. Derik J. Sven, DHSc, RDH, CDT. He is a doctoral researcher, 2025 to 2026 VDHA President, ADHA Fellow, and one of the most clear-eyed voices on hygiene workforce policy in the profession today.   Dr. Sven's perspective is genuinely rare. He grew up in a dental laboratory, pursued a seminary education, was rejected from one hygiene program and accepted by another, and spent ten years earning advanced degrees while practicing clinically. His doctoral dissertation at The George Washington University mapped scope of practice across all 50 states against four decades of political and regional cultural data. The findings challenge what most hygienists assume about why their scope looks the way it does.   The conversation covers the real mechanisms of hygiene burnout, why the dental association's Missouri pilot project doesn't meet basic research standards, how supragingival scaling without full debridement creates oral dysbiosis, and why Dr. Sven believes the most strategic career move for a hygienist who wants to shape policy may not be another master's degree. It may be law school.   For RDHs questioning what their license actually allows, dentists who want to understand workforce dynamics, practice owners navigating team culture, and anyone in dentistry who wonders why the same degree produces dramatically different careers depending on where you live. You'll Learn: * Why regional culture predicts scope of practice more reliably than political party affiliation * What the dental association's Missouri pilot project actually measured. A customer satisfaction survey is not a health outcome study. * How supragingival scaling without full debridement creates oral dysbiosis and patient harm, regardless of who performs it * The way private equity and DSO production tallies are quietly bending clinical decisions toward unnecessary restorative intervention * Why hygienist law school may be the most strategic career move for RDHs who want to shape policy and what the prerequisites actually are * What 1 percent of 220,000 hygienists choosing a JD would mean for antitrust arguments in state legislatures * What practicing with full autonomy in Colorado feels like compared to a supervision-heavy Southern state Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podbean. New episodes every week. Connect with Dr. Derik J. Sven, DHSc, RDH, CDT: Website: drderikrdh.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/derikjsven Instagram: instagram.com/drderikrdh YouTube: youtube.com/@drderikrdh Facebook: facebook.com/drderikrdh TikTok: tiktok.com/@dr..derik.rdh Where to Find Dr. Kelly: Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance. https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min [https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min] Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com [https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com/]

Episode 206 | OSHA Compliance, Immune Amnesia, and the Documentation System Every Dental Practice Needs | Mary Govoni, CDA, RDA, RDH OSHA Outreach Trainer, Speaker, Author

In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Mary Govoni, CDA, RDA, RDH OSHA Outreach Trainer, Speaker, Author, a compliance consultant who has spent decades helping dental practices close the gap between what they think they are doing and what their documentation actually shows.   Mary walks through what she finds in practice after practice: the workaround mindset that creates liability, the mask habits that never fully corrected after COVID, and the quiet moment when a team member leaves and takes the OSHA binder with them. She also shares one of dentistry’s most urgent public health alerts right now, the return of measles and a phenomenon called immune amnesia that can erase years of accumulated immunity.   This episode is for dental hygienists, dentists, dental assistants, and practice owners who want to move from compliance anxiety to a system that actually holds up when it needs to. You’ll learn: * Why most dental offices are not as compliant as they think, and exactly where the gaps usually hide * The mask-in-the-pocket habit that is still happening in clinical settings and why it matters more than people realize * What immune amnesia is, why measles is back, and how dental teams need to respond right now * The difference between OSHA law and CDC guidance, and why guidance does not mean optional * Why documentation is the first thing OSHA inspectors look for, and what happens when it walks out the door with a departing team member * The new OSHA Hazard Communication Standard changes taking effect in November 2025 and what practices need to update through 2028 * The Association for Dental Safety at myADS.org, one of the best resources in dentistry that almost nobody knows about * FX EFFEX at dental.effex.cloud, the centralized compliance platform Mary recommends for practices ready to ditch the binders Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podbean. New episodes every week. CONNECT WITH Mary Govoni, CDA, RDA, RDH OSHA Outreach Trainer, Speaker, Author: Website: https://www.marygovoni.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-govoni-and-associates/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-govoni-and-associates/] Services: OSHA Compliance and CDS Infection Prevention and Control, HIPAA Compliance and Cybersecurity, Ergonomics and Efficiency, Human Resources Manual Development (powered by Bent Ericksen and Associates) Where to Find Dr. Kelly: Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance. https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min [https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min] Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com [https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com/]

Episode 205 | Who Trains the People Who Run Dental Practices? - Savanah Carlson, MAADOM

Every clinical role in a dental practice comes with a license, a certification, or an advanced degree. The office manager who coordinates everything those clinicians do? She learns it on the job, alone, and owns the outcome regardless.   In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with Savanah Carlson, MAADOM, Director of U.S. Partners and Learning Programs at MaxAssist, former Director of Member Services at AADOM, and a dental practice management professional who has held every admin role dentistry has. She grew from Patient and Social Media Coordinator to Office Manager at Lund Dental Associates in Stoneham, Massachusetts, earned her Fellowship, Mastership, and Diplomate credentials from AADOM, led member services for the 10,000-plus member national association, and now brings that depth of experience to helping dental teams perform at their best through MaxAssist's AI-powered scheduling and admin tools.   The conversation covers what it takes to build a culture that is genuinely healthy rather than performed, how to anchor a team when everything is pulling it apart, and why the patient experience in any practice is owned entirely by the people at the front, not the people at the chair.   This episode is for dental office managers, hygienists, dentists, and practice owners who want to close the gap between the care they deliver clinically and the experience patients carry home. In this conversation, you’ll learn: * Why the patient experience begins and ends with the admin team and what that means for how practices should be led * The difference between toxic positivity and a genuinely healthy culture and why most practices cannot tell them apart * What happens when leadership cannot clearly answer why we are seeing these patients * Why communication is an applied science that no dental education pathway actually teaches * How the DISC assessment changes not just how you lead your team but how you talk to patients * The two-question end-of-day habit that costs nothing and builds more trust than most management strategies * What good AI adoption looks like for an admin team and what it looks like when a practice is using it for the wrong reasons * What it means to go after connection first and let everything else build from there Subscribe to The Dental Handoff on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podbean. New episodes every week. Connect with Savanah Carlson, MAADOM: MaxAssist: https://maxassist.com/ [https://maxassist.com/] LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/savanahmcarlson Where to Find Dr. Kelly: Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance. https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min [https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min] Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com [https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com/]

Episode 204 | Saying Yes, Earning the CSP, and Owning the Stage - Lisa Copeland, RDH, CSP, CVP

Lisa Copeland holds the CSP, the Certified Speaking Professional designation from the National Speakers Association, one of the most respected credentials in professional speaking. Fewer than 17% of speakers in the world have earned it. She is one of only three registered dental hygienists to ever receive it. That credential came after thirty years of saying yes. Perio in Scranton. Implantology in Washington, DC. Six years in Singapore. Twenty years in corporate education. Two IRONMAN races. Open water swimming. Snowboarding. A book. And a PACE-approved company she built from scratch to coach dental professionals, consultants, and emerging speakers on how to communicate with influence.   In this episode of The Dental Handoff, Dr. Kelly Tanner sits down with her longtime colleague and friend to unpack the speaking framework Lisa has refined over decades: why your conclusion matters more than your introduction, how the 10-20-30 rule forces clarity no other constraint can, and why ending a talk on Q&A quietly kills every room.   This one is for hygienists, dentists, practice owners, and anyone in the dental profession who wants to communicate with more intention, whether that is in the operatory, in a team meeting, or on a stage in front of hundreds. You’ll Learn: * Why fewer than 17% of speakers earn the CSP and why one of only 3 RDHs to hold it says structure matters more than stage presence * How to write a presentation by starting with your conclusion and building everything backwards * Why your conclusion is the most important part of any talk and why most people write it last * The 10-20-30 rule: 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30-point font and why 30-point font is the one constraint that forces clarity * Why you should never end your presentation on Q&A and exactly how to control the room so you finish on your terms * How saying yes to things she was not qualified for yet became the only strategy she ever needed *  What flap surgery in a Scranton perio office taught her about preparation and what she still misses on the distal of tooth 14 CONNECT WITH Lisa Copeland, RDH, CSP, CVP: Website: communicatewithinfluence.org Email: lisa@communicatewithinfluence.org LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisagcopeland Book a Free Discovery Call: bookme.name/LisaCopelandRDH [http://bookme.name/LisaCopelandRDH] Workshop: Vivos Institute, June 26 and 27  |  Code LISA200 saves $200  |  AGD PACE CE credit eligible  Where to Find Dr. Kelly: Let's Connect! Book a Call today to see how I can help you create high-performance teams, discuss educational programs, or how I can be of assistance. https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min [https://calendly.com/drkellytanner/30min] Visit us at https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com [https://www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com/]